Show RUTH IS HANDICAP TO COMBS I tt 9 t tIET d 14 I I I I IET v Tyr By Dy BILLY DILLY 5 1 CHICAGO Jan 27 The 27 great eat est that has brok brok- broken brok- brok broken broken en Into tho the American league since Cobb and Speaker mad made their big league debut That is h 1 Miller opinion of ot Earl Eul Combs mite manager ol or the Yan Tan Yankees kees is wise vIse In the tha of base base- boll base boll boIl Ho spilled bl big praise In behalf of ot Combs but It was Willi do- do de served Despite the admitted d greatness of Combs It Is it any star elat of of equal magnitude has eve ever been less lesa pr press td BlI Two huge obstacles have stood in the WilY way of ot Combs the th pub pub- publicity his play d deserved Tho The commanding fIur of Babe Dabe fluth proved the great greatest t handi handicap cap It 11 was a tough tH ale for a ayoung ayoung young oung star to Join tin tile Yanks Yank with Ruth cutting high Jinks with his homo home run Combs found himself In that very position The Tue year that Caul Combs us came canio to the Yankees Babe Babo wa wad wao going big rho ho reSt reat of oC the of ot the New l York TonIc outfield wes was such that oven cven so great Ireat a I as ae the Kentucky Colonel na IS Combs Is known to his lila teammates was un able ablo to break Into the hiccup Then fate fato paved ht ho hu way fOr fOrthe forthe or orthe the big opportunity hat he had hadBO so lo long g awaited A Yankee bat bat- batting batting bat batting ting slump was the tho CIo Se Sent Into the New Yori York lineup In II a series against Detroit ho he went over big Ha Ho mada mado it evident by his Ills brilliant play that t It was going to be a I tough Job to get him out of o the lineup Cleveland wIts was next II on the schedule after otter Detroit Almost before beCore he ho had a I chance to sho his sho his real worth to the fals fans ot of that city Combs Comba suffered a II broken brokenleg leg kg In sliding Into the tho rae heme plate Fate Fato could havo have s been moro more unkind First iho ehe greatness ot of Babe Dabe Ruth nuth had kept him under the cover of the bunch bench Just a substitute Then after weeks of nt waiting wailing a broken leg lee put him out of ot the Ine for tor the tho thorest rest ot of the tho season perhaps for for- forever forever for forever ever But Earl Combs is not the run run- thc run the of player he Ile Is la made or of sterner stuff stuer Very fast fILSt on his feet It was freely that Combs was WIlS through th th t t the ae- ae ac accident ident would rob him of much of his speed and most at af his confidence confidence dence When the Yankees reported at St Petersburg FIa Fla Combs was the big question mark rouk but he didn't remain that way very fry long I Almost Instantly ho he the tho thoI exclamation point with the thO New NewYork NewYork NewYork York sport writers writer He eo soon on showed that he was wasas wasas oa as fast as ne ever It didn't take much longer to rate that he had the same su sublime lImo confidence dence In his hia ability to make good Earl Combs Combe Is ju just Jutt t ready to blossom out a as u one no of the tho thereal thereal real stars elars of the American league lIe Is a IL great bitter despite the tho thoI tact fact that his style etyle Is rather un- un unorthodox Unorthodox un unorthodox I orthodox and many c of 1 his base baso hits bits savor of ot the fluk fluke Combs has hae a 0 peculiar crouch nt at atthe atthe the tho plate and chops at tho the ball bail rat ratier er than swings Many Mary of ot his hits drop Just out of ot the reach of either the tho Infield nr vr outfield and rival players often flen refer to I him as gs a 0 lucky stiff slid tut hut EArl EarlI just smiles mlles I If It Combs has JIBS a 0 single tingle fault tault It ItIs itI ita Itis I Is a II rather weak arm arn put But tell tue me what outfielders lira liro throw throwing In runners out at the tho plato plate lIe He lent isn't a good Rood runner yet et because he be hat ha still to roaster master a II slide elide and get the break with the pitch Those things will come conte with ox- ox ex experience go 00 I eX-I |